The Library Blog

Edinburgh Napier University Library blog. Filled with useful and fun blog articles on using the Library, the University, Edinburgh and many other fun topics.

Category: Library Information (Page 5 of 20)

library review

Welcome to ENU Libraries

05/09/2025 / / 0 Comments

Welcome to ENU Libraries

Welcome to our ENU libraries and to our library blog. Whether you are a new or returning student, you will find lots of useful information about the library, e.g., opening hours, services, facilities, as well as information on special events so please keep an eye on the blog to keep up to date with what’s happening.

Here is some useful information to help you get started. Just click on the links for more details.

Library Services

Our current library opening hours can be found here. The library help desks are staffed Monday – Friday from 08:45 – 16:45. Please be aware that our opening hours change during holiday periods. The NorMAN Out of Hours Service provides library support when the help desks are closed.

 

LibrarySearch is the library catalogue which can be used to search for a wide range of books, articles, and ebooks. LibrarySearch provides details of all items on the library shelves as well as subscription databases including ebooks, ejournals, online multimedia and e-conference proceedings.

 

Library Loans. You can borrow and return books via the Self- Service machines. They are really easy to use, just follow the on-screen instructions. When returning items, you can leave them in the return boxes beside the self-service machines after you have scanned them.

 

Click and Collect services are available at each campus library. Items can be requested and will be held in our designated Click and Collect areas where you can pick them up at your convenience. Requested items will be held for seven days. Please remember to check your books out via the self-service machine.

 

Printing, scanning and copying is available using our Multi-Functional Devices (MFDs). MFDs are situated in all three campus libraries. You must ensure you have enough print credit to be able to print.

 

Laptops to Loan. Lapsafes are available at each campus library, JKCC and Bainfield where laptops can be borrowed for up to 14 days. The lapsafes are self-service and can be operated by scanning your physical student card or your digital ID card.

 

Study Spaces.

We have a variety of study spaces available at each of our campus libraries. There are individual and collaborative study spaces as well as silent study areas. Group Study rooms.

Group Study Rooms are also available and can be booked up to 14 days in advance. You can check availability and book online via Resource Booker for a maximum of one two-hour slot per day.

 

Wellbeing Collections are available at each campus and have a range of books to support both your physical and mental health and well-being. There are also relaxation areas where you can take a break from studying and de-stress for a while by reading, playing games or doing some relaxing activities such as jigsaws and colouring in.

 

Library Tours are available, either individually or as a group. We are more than happy to show you around our libraries whenever it is convenient for you.  This will highlight study areas, using facilities and how to search for and find books.

 

LibCal is our training and events calendar. Be sure to look for any events which might help you with how to use the library and how to develop your academic skills. Check out our module Introduction to Computing and Library Services to find out about the services we offer.

 

Get Connected sessions are being run to help students set up access to Eduroamprint credit (our free University Wi-fi), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), and the Edinburgh Napier App. The sessions will run across all three campuses from Monday 8th September until Friday 26th September 2025.

 

More information about our libraries is available on the My Napier Library Webpage so be sure to check it out.

Welcome to Edinburgh Napier University. We are looking forward to meeting you!

 

Contact Us

If you need help from the Library, please do not hesitate to contact us.

In Person at Library Help Desks (Mon – Fri: 08:45 – 16:45)

By Email: library@napier.ac.uk

By Phone: 0131 455 3500

You can also log and track your own issue and keep up to date with actions taken by using the Self-Service Desk.

 

By Sharon McMichael

Welcome to the Napier Libraries

 

Edinburgh festival blog

Edinburgh book festival blog

14/08/2025 / / 0 Comments

Edinburgh book festival blog

August in Edinburgh is of course, usually completely taken up by the Fringe Festival (just try walking through the tourists on the Royal Mile to see what we mean!). We’d like to take a quick blog post to tell you about another festival that is running in Edinburgh: the Edinburgh International Book Festival. It’s not surprising that we here at the library would be more interested in this festival. But we imagine a lot of other people will be overlooking it in favour of the Fringe. So we’d just like to tell you a little about one of the largest book festivals in the world.

Book Festival Ongoings

Since its beginning in 1983, the Edinburgh International Book Festival has been a celebration of literature and culture. And going strong for over forty years. It has seen some changes along the way. Initially it was held biennially before switching to annual in 1997. As well as changing venue a few times (it’s currently held at the Edinburgh Futures Institute) but has consistently remained a place that encourages discussion and debate, celebrating art and culture both within and outwith Scotland, with events being both educational and entertaining. These events include panel discussions, book signings, writing workshops, talks by creatives about their work, or public readings of works.
In addition to the main adult programme, there is also programmes of events tailored for children and young people. These have story time and educational events for children, and games and quizzes for young adults.

Book Festival

Previous years have included events such as 2024 hosting a 200th anniversary celebration of Scottish gothic satire The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner and 2017’s festival seeing then-First Minister Nicola Sturgeon popping in to take part in a talk about living life under public scrutiny.
>The primary theme for this year’s festival is Repair, with events focused on examining how aspects of our society feel broken and what can be done to address them. Events will be based around activities that help restore a sense of purpose and calm in the modern world. There have been events promoting the therapeutic benefits of gardening, readings from local writers and poets on the theme of repair, and discussions of modern climate activism.
>Other themes from this year have included New World Orders, focusing on international and domestic politics, and Brainwaves, which explores all aspects related to the brain, such as psychology and neuroscience. You can find more themes of this year’s festival on the festival website.
>I’m personally looking forward to the festival hosting the first Scottish presentation of Mark Kermode Live in 3D this year, which sees the popular film critic being joined by several Scottish screen actors to discuss upcoming film releases and their personal history with cinema.

As you might have noticed from some of the name dropping I’ve been doing so far. The festival has regularly played host to celebrities from all around the world. These have of course included authors and artists, but also political thinkers and politicians. The alumni of the festival including as disparate a group of people such as American author Toni Morrison, Pakistani political activist Tariq Ali, linguist Noam Chomsky, and essayist Susan Sontag.
>In addition to celebrities from around the world, the festival has also hosted events by Scottish celebrities such as Glasgow based comedian Brian “Limmy” Limond. This year will see local singer-songwriter Hamish Hawk appear to celebrate the works of eccentric Scottish poet Ivor Cutler.

You can find a full list of all of this year’s events on the festival’s website. We hope to see you there!

By Matthew Ferrie

photo by Evy Prentice

 

All about the Fringe this august 

burryman festival

The Burryman Festival

08/08/2025 / / 0 Comments

The Burryman Festival

 

When the Edinburgh festivals are running the show in the city, the nearby town of South Queensferry on the edge of the Firth of Forth, hosts a very different kind of party. Situated overlooking the iconic Forth Rail Bridge and the slightly less iconic Forth Road Bridge, ‘The Ferry’ plays host to the Burryman’s Day, which always takes place on the second Friday in August.

The Burryman himself is always someone either from South Queensferry or closely connected to the town. He is elected by committee, and occupies the role of Burryman until such time as he chooses to step down (now that’s a peaceful transition of power).

Preparing in the wee small hours of the morning – and wearing a bodysuit to protect his skin – a man covered in burdock flowers, from head to toe, proceeds from the Stag’s Head hotel at 9am. He follows a prepared route through the town, visiting shops, pubs, churches as well as housing estates, attempting to see as many of the townspeople as possible.

“Hip hip hooray, it’s the Burryman’s day” is the refrain heard around its streets, belted out by the town crier, ringing bells chiming with gusto. Fed liquids (mostly whisky…though sometimes water) through a straw, his work (or, if you prefer, performance) is a labour of love – and one that is greatly appreciated by the towns and visiting tourists alike. Meeting the Burryman is considered good luck by some – crossing his path on the day of your wedding is especially welcome – whilst others simply enjoy the strange, unconventional spectacle of it. Folk are also invited to ‘drop a coin in the box’ as a donation to local charities.

Overall, the atmosphere is one of community, conviviality and fun – locals help by picking burdock and other flowers that make up the Burryman’s garland. Every year, the event coincides with the town’s Ferry Fair – with a mix of newcomers who have, in recent times, moved out to South Queensferry from the city in search of space, peace and quiet.

Where did this come from?

It is, in effect, a harvest festival, celebrating a good crop yield, but also, because of the town’s history of fishing, is associated with a plentiful catch from its fishermen, dating back to the 16th century. However, there are other threads intertwined here.  Rituals like the Burryman are seen in Britain, Ireland and many mainland European countries: the ‘king for a day’; the man of the Burgh (in this interpretation, the Burryman is the ‘man of the town’, as opposed to the man covered in burrs), celebrating plentiful amounts of food; the ‘Green Man’ that symbolises rebirth and change.

Other specific variations include the ‘Castleton Garland King’ in Castleton, Derbyshire – held annually on the 29th of May – and the Straw Bears processions, common in parts of Germany.

By Kieran Curran

photo by JM

Get into the festival spirit

Friendship

Friendship Day

31/07/2025 / / 0 Comments

Friendship Day

Yesterday was Friendship Day, a day dedicated to celebrating the importance of friendship in all its forms. We know how hard it can be to make new friends when you go to university. And we understand how important friends can be for getting you through your studies. For that reason, we thought we’d just take some time today to talk a little about the different ways the university can support you in making new friends once you start your studies here.

Once you become a student at Edinburgh Napier you are also welcomed into the Edinburgh Napier Students Association (ENSA), our student union. Here you’ll find the student clubs and societies at the university. They are also responsible for organising student-centric events at the university. You can learn more about the students union at their website, ENSA Home.

ENSA


>Joining a club or society is a fantastic way to make new friends at university. It gives you a chance to meet other students who have some of your same interests. I can speak from personal experience and say that the greatest friends I made at university, the ones I still keep in touch with today, are the friends I made through joining different clubs related to my hobbies.
>When the new academic year begins, ENSA will host a range of events throughout the first week. They are designed to welcome new students to the university and help them get to know other students in their cohort. You can find the events list on the ENSA website at Edinburgh Napier Welcome Week 2025.   Here is  a full list of events being added at the start of August.

The Napier Friendship Club is organised by the Visa and International Support team as a way of helping students to find and make friends with other members of the university, with a particular emphasis on helping our international students to find community as they arrive in the country. The club organise events throughout the academic year. So if you’re looking to make friends at university why don’t you email friends@napier.ac.uk to find out what they have planned for the coming school year.

Whether you’re a new student joining us or a returning student, we hope you feel welcome here at Napier. And that some of the information provided can help you build a strong friend group during your studies.

By Matthew Ferrie

SUniversity support

Sighthill Campus Library

27/07/2025 / / 0 Comments

Sighthill Campus Library

At the start of 2011 we opened our newest campus building in Sighthill just to the west of Edinburgh city centre, and for the past fourteen years it has been the home of our School of Health and Social Care, and the School of Applied Sciences, providing our students with a state-of-the-art learning environment and research centres where they can perfect their skills and conduct important research into their field.

Sighthill Campus

The Sighthill Campus can be found at 9 Sighthill Court, in the suburb of Sighthill, just off Calder Road and right next to Sighthill public park. Which makes us neighbours with the Sighthill campus of Edinburgh College!
You can easily reach the campus through several different Lothian bus routes, with bus stops located right next to and across the road from the campus. You can reach the campus through the number 3, 21, 25, 32, 34, and 36 bus routes, with the number 36 bus serving all of our campuses across the city.
The campus is also only a short walk away from Edinburgh Park train station, or you can catch the above-mentioned buses from either Haymarket or Edinburgh Waverly.  We are also only a short walk away from the Bankhead tram stop.
With all these options, there’s really no excuse to not pay us a visit.

 

The Sighthill Campus itself is divided into separate “blocks” numbered A to F, with each block being based around a particular service.
The A block is the atrium, the main entrance area, where you’ll find the canteen, espresso lab and some areas for you to sight and socialise with friends.
The B block has the offices, where you’ll find the support and administrative teams, such as the finance team, international support, and offices for the School of Health and Social Care and the School of Applied Sciences.
In the C block you’ll find our specialist teaching departments (more on those later!)
D block has our lecture theatres and class rooms.
E is for the Learning Resource Centre, the campus library.
And F is for the sports building (You’ll be hearing more on that later too!)
Each room number will include the letter for which block it is. So if you’re told to go to room 4.E.13, you’ll know it’s on the fourth floor of the library in room thirteen.

You can learn more about the layout of the building, along with a guide to disability access points, at Sighthill Building | AccessAble.

At Sighthill, you’ll find our most modern campus building, boasting specialised laboratories and our very impressive Simulation and Clinical Skills Centre, a facility that simulates different healthcare working environments to give the students of our school of health and social care a taste of what they can expect once they enter their careers, and a chance to practice their skills in a controlled setting.
For our School of Applied Sciences we have laboratories focusing on research into the Biological Sciences, Social Sciences, and Sports Sciences. These include facilities and equipment for research into microbiology and biomedicine, as well as labs that allow for practical psychology studies with interview rooms and equipment for testing perception and eye tracking. Of particular note, we also have an environmental performance laboratory that can be used to simulate different climate conditions for research into how extreme weather conditions effect human physiology.

Sighthill Campus Library

On campus you can also find our Sighthill Learning Resource Centre, 5 storeys tall and taking up the E block of the building. On the first floor you’ll find a café and area for group study and socialisation. The second floor has our library help desk for any enquiries you might have, as well as computers for you to use and the lapsafe if you need to borrow a laptop to help with your studies. The third and fourth floors are silent study areas that have our collection of books. On the fifth floor you’ll find the Horizon Suite, one of our Sighthill conference venues, which can accommodate over one hundred people, gets plenty of sunlight, and has a great view of the surrounding area. Also on the fifth floor is some more study rooms.
You can learn more about the learning resources on offer in the library at Sighthill Learning Resource Centre.

In addition to our research facilities, our Sighthill campus also offers a café on the first floor of the library right next to the entrance, as well as a canteen in the atrium and the Sighthill Espresso Lab for if you want a coffee on your way to class. We also have the ENGAGE Fitness centre, a gym that is open to staff and students as well as members of the public. At ENGAGE you’ll find equipment for cardio and weightlifting exercises, including Olympic weightlifting platforms and a sports hall that can be booked for activities such as badminton. There is also personal trainers available to support you while you’re there.

We’ll be looking forward to welcoming any new students to the Sighthill campus in the coming academic year, and we hope that with this blog post you’ll be able to find your way around a little easier!

By Matthew Ferrie

Read all about Craiglockhart library

 

Spotlight on Craiglockhart Library

Spotlight on Craiglockhart Library

23/07/2025 / / 0 Comments

Spotlight on Craiglockhart Library

Craiglockhart Library is the library for the Business School. Here you will find books covering a range of business topics such as leadership, marketing and law. The library is located in the basement of the campus, down the stairs leading off the foyer.

General

As you reach the bottom of the stairs and before you access the library you will see a whiteboard with information about upcoming library events. Just inside the entrance we have a display table for promotions such as Love your Library and Pride and a stand with the QR code for booking a library tour.

Stock

Print books are stocked in 2 main areas – main stock, which is the largest section and the law section which can be found in the Law Hub.

We have a small number of print journals and DVDs following on from the end of the main stock. Back issues of the Financial Times are held there too.

Our Wellbeing collection has books on subjects such as anxiety, sexuality, exam stress etc.

Study spaces

There are a variety of different spaces for studying in the library. There are group study rooms which are bookable, collaborative desks and booths which are first come first served, a silent study room and a quiet study room. One of our group study rooms is a family room with books and toys for small children.

Services provided

Pcs, some with dual screens and a small number of Macs. Assistive technology PC.

Power for laptops and charging.

Lapsafe for self-service laptop loans.

Click and Collect shelf for requested items. Self-service kiosk for issuing and returning books.

Printers.

Helpdesk

At the library helpdesk we can assist with connecting Eduroam, the university recommended network

using the lapsafe

directional queries

advice on long term laptop loans

issuing inter library loans and you can also collect your print services requests from here. Also a range of ergonomic equipment such as keyboard, mouse and headphones can be borrowed from here.

Wellbeing

Along with our Wellbeing Collection of books, there is a relaxation space for you to take time out from your studies. Books, games, origami paper and colouring sheets are provided. There are also tables for completing jigsaws.

War Poets Collection

At present, the collection and exhibits do not have a curator, but library staff can offer a limited amount of assistance regarding the collection.

We hope to see you soon at Craiglockhart library!

By Vivienne Hamilton

 Read more about the library here

Welcome back

21 Years of Craiglockhart campus library

17/07/2025 / / 0 Comments

21 Years of Craiglockhart campus library

In the summer of 2004 the refurbished Craiglockhart campus was getting ready to re-open. It had acquired a modern extension to cope with increased student numbers. So the library was now housed in the lower floor below the foyer. Controversially the main library area did not have a ceiling. Whilst the works were taking place the book stock and library staff were accommodated at Sighthill campus.  Which would later get its own refurbishment.

Back then at Sighthill the staff offices and library there were quite old-fashioned looking with lots of dark wood. The library desk was not near the book stock; in fact, it wasn’t even on the same floor. Without a lift capable of taking trollies between floors it meant that books had to be loaded into a dumb waiter style lift, sent up to the correct floor, then unloaded from the lift onto another trolley. When it came to packing up the books to move them back to Craiglockhart it was a massive task. Books were packed up in crates in Dewey Decimal number order and journals alphabetically by title, then by date. Crates were then labelled and transported to Craiglockhart.

Craiglockhart campus library

The new Craiglockhart library was very different. There was light coloured metal shelving and large windows making the area seem much brighter. Book and journal stock was held on the same floor as the library desk making returning items to the correct place much easier. Once the stock had been transported back from Sighthill it had to be unpacked and put onto the shelves in the correct order which required a lot of concentration! The crates served as seating for library staff at breaks and lunchtime as the library furniture had not yet arrived.

At the time there were two rows of main book stock which due to the increase in e-book usage and no longer teaching languages have now been reduced to one. Almost all journals stocked were in print format and these were stored in large rolling stacks situated where the collaborative desks are now. It would be a few years before self-service kiosks for issuing and returning books came to the library and even longer until a Click and Collect shelf for requests. Until then if you requested a book and wanted to collect it you had to wait to be served at the library helpdesk.

A few years after returning to Craiglockhart the size of the staff office was reduced to create the quiet room. Low level talking and discussion is allowed here, but it tends to be more of a silent study room.

As time passed and print journal subscriptions moved to electronic ones the rolling stacks became obsolete and collaborative desks were fitted in this space. Over the years computers have been upgraded regularly and Macs were added. The lapsafe provides access to laptops which can be borrowed.

With increased space due to reduced print stock it was possible to create the relaxation space. This is a space to take time out from studies. Books, colouring sheets, games and origami paper are provided.

At the time Craiglockhart library re-opened no-one could have guessed how many changes there would be over the years. Let’s see what the next 21 years brings!

 

Read more about the changes of Craiglockhart over the years

By Vivienne Hamilton

Support for Exams during the Summer 2025 Image of student study desk cluttered this objects

Support for Exams during the Summer 2025

14/07/2025 / / 0 Comments

Support for Exams during the Summer 2025

It’s summertime – yay! For most of our student community at Edinburgh Napier University, exams and assignment deadlines will be over and out of the way for now. Nevertheless, whether it’s resits or Trimester 3 exams, some of our students may still have upcoming exams and tests to sit during these summer months. No matter what time of year it is as well, exams and upcoming finals can always be extremely daunting. Nevertheless, our campus libraries are still open over the summer with a varied abundance of resources and services to support and assist you with exam revision and preparation for any upcoming exams and finals you may have. The best part – all resources and services alluded to in this article, as well as exam revision tips, will be both relevant and accessible all year round.

Our Libguide and Libcal

Our detailed LibGuide can be found and accessed through our My Napier webpages and cover all schools, with detailed subject guides for Arts and Creative Industries, Applied Sciences, Health and Social Care, The Business School and Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment. It also has sections about referencing, utilising reading lists, an A-Z list of databases and literature reviewing to assist you with these elements of your revision and research as well. There is even a section on how to measure your research performance. You can also access our Wellbeing Collection guide through our Libguide as well, which includes resources with various tips regarding how to manage stress, eat well, stay organised and tackle procrastination – if applied, these are all extremely helpful when it comes to exam revision!

Training and Events

You may notice on the front page of our LibGuide that we also have a link which takes you to our Training and Events Calendar. Our information services team regularly run a variety of training events and workshops on areas such as literature searching, learning technologies, copyright and publishing, referencing and getting started with the library sessions, to name a few. They are mainly run by our subject librarians, learning technologists and academic skills team – all of whom are extremely helpful and more than happy to answer any questions you may have. If you feel that you would perhaps benefit from one-to-one support, you can also book a personal appointment with one of our academic skills advisors through our My Napier webpages or alternatively one of our subject librarians by emailing library@napier.ac.uk. Each of our subject librarians also has specialisms in specific subjects and schools at Edinburgh Napier, so you may well be referred to one which can help you with search queries and referencing relevant to your school or specialism!

Study Spaces and Resources

All bookable study rooms and spaces can be booked through Resource Booker or by emailing library@napier.ac.uk.

If you need a quiet space to study for exams without distraction, or alternatively, a space to collaborate about an upcoming exam with friends or course mates, our three campus libraries have spaces tailored to any of these specific needs regarding your preferred study environment. All study spaces have PCS, which are free for students and staff to use, some of which also have dual monitors as well should a bit of multitasking be required. We also have MFDs for printing, scanning and copying in each campus library, which you can use by scanning your student card on the machine once you have sent your documents to the printer through one of our PCs or through Papercut. This application can be found in your student account and the My Napier app. Do not worry if you do not have your physical student card on you as well – all MFDs can also be manually logged into if needed. More information about our three campus libraries and study spaces can be found in our My Napier webpages in our About the Library section.

Borrowing Items

Each campus library also has a varied abundance of books and resources, which are tailored to meet the research needs of all schools at Edinburgh Napier University. Once borrowed, all books will automatically renew for up to four months unless they are requested by another patron, in which case you will receive an email asking you to return the book 7 days from when this email is sent. Many of our books can also be accessed online as eBooks. Should it be the case that we do not have a physical copy available, you are unable to come to campus to retrieve the physical version, or even if it is down to personal preference. All the physical resources and eBooks we have in stock can be found and requested through LibrarySearch.

Inter Library Loans

Can’t find the book that you need for your exam research and studies? We also have a Inter Library Loans service where we can request a book that you need from another library that we do not have within our own stock, then pick it up from us once it has arrived at one of our campus libraries. You can also access the Inter Library Loan request form through LibrarySearch as well.

All of our campus libraries also host our varied Research Collection with a range of resources covering basic research and referencing skills as well as study skills relevant to specific subjects and schools. Our Wellbeing Collection, on the other hand, has a range of resources which can provide advice regarding how to manage stress (because we all know exam season is a stressful time), how to eat well and how to optimise energy levels and motivation when revising to get the results that you want.

Recommendations

Here are some recommendations from both collections from us!

  • Stay balanced while you study: Make the most of your student experience, Thompson, Dominique, author. 2020. Available at Merchiston and Craiglockhart Campus Libraries.
  • Pass your exam, Anderson, Lorraine, 1964- author.; Spark, Gordon, author. 2020. Available at All Campus Libraries.
  • Ace your exam, Northedge, Andrew, author. 2021. Available at All Campus Libraries and Online.

by Rachel Downie

Read more about library information to help you and your studies 

Image: Photo by Julia M Cameron from Pexels

 

Filmhouse

The Filmhouse Re-Opens

11/07/2025 / / 0 Comments

The Filmhouse Re-Opens

 

Rejoice as the Filmhouse re-opens.

After a three-year closure due to pre-existing financial issues combined with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Edinburgh cinematic institution The Filmhouse reopened on Friday, the 27th of June. Due to a combination of business backing, government grants, crowdfunding and protests, the Filmhouse has finally rejoined Edinburgh’s cultural firmament.

Originally built as a Presbyterian church in the 19th century, the Filmhouse became Edinburgh’s first dedicated arthouse cinema in 1979. The area around it on Lothian Road is a major thoroughfare, known for a ‘lively’ nighttime scene. It has long been a significant spot for culture – The Usher Hall (which also hosts Napier graduations), the Lyceum, the Traverse, as well as sadly departed music venues like Henry’s Cellar Bar and The Citrus Club.

In its new incarnation, the building has undergone comprehensive renovation inside, with all three cinema screens refurbished. The largest screen, cinema 1, now looks better than ever. The much-loved café also returns, as well as spaces for film education. On that last point: Edinburgh film-maker Charlotte Wells (best known as the director of Aftersun), in an interview with Sight and Sound, described the crucial role of the Filmhouse in her artistic education:

When I was about 14, I took part in an Ideas Factory competition where we had to pitch an idea for a short documentary; I pitched one about female footballers and got an opportunity to meet Nick Broomfield, who did a masterclass, and Mark Cousins. Through that, I found a place on the Filmhouse’s Scottish Kids Are Making Movies (SKAMM) initiative…Discovering what it felt like to point the camera wherever you wanted to shoot, and to work collaboratively, was a very early introduction to filmmaking, which was like any art form when I grew up – it was not considered a viable career. SKAMM provided a vision of filmmaking as a possibility. As did walking through the Filmhouse doors every Saturday morning.

Cinemas are palaces of dreams – intimate places, where people gather to see the vision of a director and the collective work of a cast and crew manifested on the big screen. You can watch pictures from a range of time periods, nationalities, big names and small names, the established classic (the Filmhouse’s first screening on re-opening was Cinema Paradiso), as well as the up-and-coming creative force (it is back as the main host of the Edinburgh International Film Festival, which is primarily focused on new work). They are also, of course, places for communities to come together, to celebrate culture and to thrive. Edinburgh – like any city – needs this. Support it if you can.

 

by Kieran Curran

Photo by Jeremy Yap

 

Keep the cinematic flow, we have a post on how Barbie conquered the cinema world of 2023

Green and Sustainability

Green and Sustainability Libraries

10/07/2025 / / 0 Comments

Green and Sustainability Libraries

Libraries are perfect hubs for green and sustainability awareness. Filled with information and resources, but also play a role in being environmentally conscious.

Green and Sustainability at Edinburgh Napier Library

Academic books can go out of date, particularly in computing, health and sciences. Do you ever wonder what happens with these? We donate our outdated stock to Better World Books. Better World Books is a “for-profit social-minded business that collects and sells books online with each sale generating funds for literacy initiatives around the world”. Books typically go to landfills, but Better World Books sells these books, with profits funding library programmes. If books are not able to make a sale, they are recycled and used for animal bedding.

We have reduced our physical footprint, with more digitisation and e-resources to save paper and trees.

Green and Sustainability at Edinburgh Napier.

At the university, we are committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as well as Scotland’s National Performance Framework. Much of our research and curriculum is dedicated to the SDG14, there are embedded toolkits and case studies that are available for academics to frame their programmes to meet these. In the School of Computing, Engineering and Built Environment,  sustainable construction is focused on heavy.

On top of this, we have made strides from biodiversity to reducing waste.  80% of our waste is recycled, while the remaining 20% is used for fuel production. All our campuses and accommodation’s energy usage is monitored, and LED lighting is used throughout.

Did you know that Craiglockhart campus contains around 50 different plant species, which include a rare fungus and a yellow barista. We also have the Lion Gates Garden that sits just outside Merchiston Library, or you can take part in a gardening club at Sighthill. And we are proud that all our campuses are hedgehog-friendly.

Green Libraries

Upon reading for this article, I stumbled across the Warsaw University Library, and I helped myself not to talk about it. It is one of the most impressive green libraries, is Warsaw University library. To such an extent that it has become a major tourist attraction in the city. In 2002, a garden was opened on the University of Warsaw library’s rooftop. It is one of Europe’s largest rooftop gardens. The garden is divided into two sections: the lower section and the upper section. The lower section even includes a fish pond that ducks have taken kindly to. It is open to the public from April to October, and it’s a must-visit if you’re ever in Warsaw.

 

Read about International Forest Day that happened earlier this year.

 

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